


Summer Haze - Karasuno Lake Vacation!

by allegedarchivist



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Beach Volleyball, Fluff, M/M, Pining, Summer Vacation, Volleyball
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-02-18
Updated: 2021-02-21
Packaged: 2021-03-13 14:42:02
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,516
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29527971
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/allegedarchivist/pseuds/allegedarchivist
Summary: The Karasuno boy's volleyball team spends a week at a lake house to bond and train the summer after their defeat at the Interhigh Championships. With the close quarters and different settings, some breakthroughs are made. Unexpected guests, cook-outs, campfires, and sleepovers make this trip about a lot more than just serves and receives. With the scene set, can the group find their best tempo?There's a lot of POV switching, so beware if that bugs you.
Relationships: Akaashi Keiji/Bokuto Koutarou, Azumane Asahi/Nishinoya Yuu, Sawamura Daichi/Sugawara Koushi, Tsukishima Kei/Yamaguchi Tadashi
Kudos: 14





	1. Faces, Places

**The Karasuno Bus**

The floor hummed comfortably under Suga’s feet as he sat in the bus. As was often the case, he was the first to be picked up for a team trip, alone except for Takeda-sensei, who was driving. He knew the pickup loop well and could feel it when the sharp turn towards Ukai’s shop came. The door opened. Suga didn’t _see_ Ukai get in – he was staring out the window trying desperately to enjoy the short-lived silence – but he knew it had happened just the same. A waft of cigarette smoke and the soft banter that began from the front of the bus made its way all the way back to Suga’s seat, and the comfortable rhythm of the bus ride was nearly complete. All that was left was the chatter of his teammates, and they were due to start piling on in moments.

The gray-haired third year hadn’t thought he’d find himself back on this bus. He welcomed the familiar environment. They had lost at the Inter-high championships in a stinging defeat to Aoba Johsai, one of the most heartbreaking defeats of his career. He had to watch it unfold largely from the bench, and although Suga was the model teammate to his underclassmen, he had a competitive streak that made that point of view sting every time. _Funny_ , he thought. _If we had gotten blown out in the first round, would it have felt better? I doubt that Daichi or Asahi would have stayed if that had been the case, and I definitely wouldn’t have continued as the lone upperclassman hanging on_.

As it was, the team had stayed united to train during the summer and prepare for the Spring High Tournament. While they typically would have gone to the Tokyo training camp to run training games against other teams, this summer was different. This summer, they’d be traveling as a team to Yamaguchi’s – well, Yamaguchi’s *family’s* - lake house to train and bond. The scrawny first year had suggested it after the Inter-high. The typically quiet pinch server had seemed terrified to offer, but apparently his family owned a small cabin overlooking Lake Tazawa and the park nearby had both a beach volleyball court and a more traditional one in the gym. It was only a 3-hour drive and Takeda-sensei was more than willing to take the team in the bus. Coach Ukai had also jumped at the opportunity when Takeda had brought it up – _had that been a blush on Takeda-sensei when Ukai grabbed his shoulders in excitement_? The rest of the team had jumped at the idea of what sounded like a vacation, and Daichi- well, Daichi had looked at Suga with such a smile playing about his eyes that he felt he’d just tossed the perfect set. His stomach still squeezed just a little thinking about the Captain’s smile, let alone his _thighs._

His dreamy reminiscing was cut short by the sudden stop of the bus. Some teammates piled on – Ennoshita, Kinoshita, Narita, and their managers Kiyoko Shimizu and Hitoka Yachi.

“Well well well, if it isn’t the honorary king of the bench! Hey silver fox!” Ennoshita called out. The second-year bench crew had become much more familiar to Koshi in the last semester and he’d come to welcome their ever-more aggressive teasing.

“Welcome to my royal court, lords and ladies,” Suga announced with an exaggerated accent and flamboyant flourish while still staying slouched low in his seat. “Take your seats and let the journey to our summer palace begin.” He could hear from the chuckles and creaking that his teammates had settled into their seats. He could hear Yachi anxiously whispering to Kiyoko as well, but the words were unclear. He and the rest of his teammates had been welcoming to the first-year trainee manager (well, he and the rest of his teammates minus Noya and Tanaka anyway) but he knew she was still nervous. Hopefully bonding with her more as a team would be a side product of this trip, for the first-years sake.

The next stop was to pick up Hinata and Kageyama. _Kind of surprising they didn’t race there on foot_ he thought with a smile. As excited as he was to see the two star underclassmen, he didn’t at all want to hear them. As they wrestled to get in the bus first, Koshi turned his music up and feigned sleep. The small bus was almost full, and they had a three-hour drive yet. He must have actually drifted off at some point, because he awoke to the comforting smell of clean laundry and deodorant – _Daichi_.

“Hey. Hope you don’t mind; the front of the bus is a little loud for my liking.” Daichi’s voice was reassuring, sitting there in a sweatshirt and shorts as always. He always sounded like he was smiling somehow. Koshi wondered how Sawamura had ever gotten to be so grown up. They were the same age and yet sometimes he felt like a fraud next to the true leader that his captain had become.

“You know I don’t,” Suga replied. He smiled. “The old folks ride in the back, you know that. And it could be worse – we could be riding with the others”

“Of _course_ Noya and Tanaka would rather ride with Saeko. It’s a good thing she’s visiting friends in the area or this would’ve been even less relaxing. I’m just surprised that Asahi decided to join them.” Daichi seemed content. Suga’s stomach squeezed a little again.

“Are you really that surprised? I don’t think Noya would ever miss a chance to strong-arm Asahi into riding in the backseat together with him.” _Not sure why I said that._

“Hmm.” Daichi didn’t seem to catch the irony. “I’m just excited to get this opportunity. The team can use the practice and the chance to get closer. We have to make big strides and win if we want our staying to be worth it.”  
Suga nestled down further into his sweater. The way that Daichi spoke to him sometimes, he was sure that his feelings were reciprocated, but other times he was so oblivious it hurt. “We’ll make it worth it. We’ve worked too hard and come too far to go back now. This team is special, and you know it.” He reached out in a rare moment of bravery and touched Daichi’s thigh. “You’ll lead them to glory.”

Daichi’s shock quickly gave way to a wide smile. “You always know what to say.”

“All right, don’t get all mushy on me.” Suga matched his smile. “You’re starting to sound like Yamaguchi. Speaking of, I hope the welcoming committee is okay. It was nice of those two to go up ahead and get things set up, but I’m pretty sure Tsukishima just wanted an excuse to get there a day ahead of time and have some peace.”

**The Welcoming Committee**

Kei Tsukishima stood on the porch of the cabin. The lake was just visible over the tops of the trees, and the morning’s mist was just burning off in the last dregs of the sunrise’s reflection. Birds chirped and bugs buzzed. By any measure, it was a beautiful morning, but Tsukishima’s face was as unexcited as ever.

“No need to look so gleeful,” Yamaguchi called out. He had just exited the house to join Tsukishima on the porch, bringing the tall blond boy one of two coffees. He sipped the black coffee. Tsukishima took the one with cream and sugar and held it below his face. His glasses fogged lightly but he didn’t seem to notice.

“They’re going to be here soon. I can’t take it, the running, the yelling, the drama. I still don’t know why I stay on this team of weirdos.” The tall boy sipped from his mug and let Yamaguchi lean into his side. It was cold, after all. In a rare moment of vulnerability, he leaned his head on Yamaguchi’s. “This has been nice, though.”

“Oh, you love it. I see you smile after a big block. Besides, if you didn’t have the tangerine and King of the Court to antagonize, you’d have no purpose. You’re never happier than when you’re arguing with them.” Yamaguchi pecked his boyfriend’s pensive face. “I’ve known you too long for this grumpy giraffe routine to work on me.” Tsukishima didn’t quite smile, but he relaxed just the tiniest bit. That was about as much as you could hope for from him, and it filled Yamaguchi with warmth. “I’m looking forward to the week,” he said. “It’ll be good for us all.”

**Saeko’s Car**

Saeko ignored the quiet protests of the long-haired boy in her backseat as she cut across three lanes of traffic to pull over and look at a sign. “Well, that’s not right.” Her brother and his little spiky friend started to yell questions at her, and the long-haired boy looked a bit sick. “Sorry boys, this might end up taking a _little_ longer than I had anticipated.”


	2. Watching Stars

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I really wanted to write a more detailed account of them cooking, but this chapter was already getting a little long, so stay tuned! The next couple are going to be pretty practice-heavy, but I'll fit in my little cooking arc somewhere if it kills me. Enjoy!

**Saeko’s Car**

How does this always happen to me? Asahi Azumane, the Ace of one of the best offensive teams in high school volleyball, the imposing man-bun sporting powerhouse spiker, sat crushed halfway between a bag of snacks and a half-folded beach chair in the backseat of a little car that was hurtling down a narrow mountain road. He was feeling mildly ill. On the other side of the beach chair sat his teammate and closest confidant, Nishinoya Yu. The excitable libero was screaming at the Tanaka siblings in the front seat about something – probably how he was upset to be late for the first night’s bar-b-que – but Asahi was feeling like if he concentrated on anything but not being carsick, he was going to fail.

  
Noya had asked him to ride together with Saeko and even though he wanted to be with his fellow third years, he had never quite learned how to say no to the shorter boy. He still remembered the disappointment in Noya’s eyes when Asahi had said he wouldn’t be coming back to the team, and the anger when the second-year had confronted him about it, calling him a coward. Asahi looked over the pile of disorganized stuff between them (he couldn’t in all honesty have expected Tanaka to pack, but it was a little ridiculous) and he could just see Noya’s head peeking over it. He was talking to Tanaka about something, and Asahi watched as he threw his head back to laugh in an exaggerated motion.

A smile tugged at his face, amusement breaking through the nausea. No matter what, Nishinoya was always loud an unapologetic. They couldn’t be more different, but they fit together all the same. Maybe if I was more like him, I wouldn’t get so discouraged, he thought. He thought about Hinata, how Nishinoya finally had someone to match his energy and drive. Asahi often worried that his libero, his guardian, Nishinoya would get bored with him. I have to get better, he thought. He’d lost Noya’s respect once. Now, it was his mission to make sure he never saw pain in those eyes again. He held that goal in his eyes every day as he practiced jump serves, felt it in the sting of his hands and the burning in his calves. And, in this moment, it was his goal to not see his lunch for the second time that day. He held on for dear life, as he heard Saeko say that she finally knew where she was going.

* * *

**The Karasuno Bus**

“Do you need any help navigating, Takeda-sensei?” Kiyoko Shimizu asked, bracing herself against the driver’s chair as the bus lurched around yet another narrow corner.

  
“No but thank you! I actually think we’re almost there,” the teacher replied. He seemed stressed. She could hardly blame him. With all of the other strong personalities on the team, their chaotic coach, and the hostile opposing coaches, Kiyoko had always felt a kind of camaraderie with their advisor. Between the two of them, they were only just able to keep the crazy train on the tracks year after year. This lake adventure was just another example. She had bought three travel toothbrush kits with her in her bag because she just knew that by the end of the night, she’d need to give them to embarrassed teammates. She was pretty sure she knew which three, too, but there was always the chance for someone to surprise her. Kiyoko was confident in her role and loved being a part of the team, but she knew that it wasn’t forever.

  
“Hey… are you okay? You seem even more quiet than usual.” Kiyoko looked across the aisle to see Yachi leaning comically far towards the older girl. Yachi looked like she was trying to be casual but failing miserably. As usual, Kiyoko decided not to mention it.

  
“I’m fine, just ready to get off the bus. How about you? This is your first big excursion with the team. Are you ready to get to know them a bit better? It could be a big opportunity for you to get used to this chaotic travel arrangement before an important tournament.” Kiyoko asked her questions softly, but with great care. She wouldn’t have picked the blonde girl if she didn’t think that the freshman was capable of being a great manager, and Kiyoko was almost never wrong. Yachi blushed immediately.

  
“Oh man, I hope so? I’m still not sure I entirely understand the sport fully but I’m glad you think I can do it.” She was clearly still a bit unsure, but Kiyoko saw when she interacted with the other first-years that she was really a skilled communicator.

  
“This job isn’t really about volleyball. We’re here to support them in all of the other ways, and you don’t need to be a tactical genius for that, just a caring and hardworking person. I know that you can do that.”  
“I hope so,” the first-year said.  
“Well, it looks like I’ll get the chance to prove you right.” Kiyoko shot the girl a rare smile, registering with amusement how much she beamed back. “We’re here.”

* * *

**The Karasuno Bus, Two Rows Back**

“GET OUT OF MY WAY,” Kageyama yelled. He pulled himself over the bus chair and raced down the hallway towards the door before a sudden grip on his ankle sent him sprawling. He heard a sudden rush of movement and suddenly – an orange blur flew over his dark hair. As always, thought Kageyama, it looks like someone chucked an orange peel across the room. He raced to his feet, grabbed the orange peel (now strangely resembling a small, annoying teammate) and struggled towards the bus door. He and Hinata came to a rest against the door, determined to be the first one out, but it had not yet opened.

  
“Guys, come on,” called Daichi, somewhat halfheartedly. Takeda sighed and opened the door, spilling the freshman onto the dirt. As they straightened up, untangled, and continued to bicker, the rest of the team began unloading the bus. Kageyama, deciding that this conversation was over, walked to grab his bag. Hinata was still claiming loudly that he’d beaten him by a hair to an audience of teammates ignoring him with practiced reticence.

  
Kageyama hoisted his suitcase out of the bus and turned around to look at the lake house. The house was as unremarkable as the view was beautiful. It rose out of the woods subtly, its dark wood exterior blending well with the tree trunks that encircled it. The house looked to be about three stories tall, and skinny. It had a steep metal roof that sparkled in the sunspots that made it through the leaves of the canopy. There was a good-sized deck that hung over the front entrance. Tsukishima glared down from his perch there, but this wasn’t enough to ruin Kageyama’s high spirits. Behind him was the house’s most remarkable feature – floor-to-ceiling windows on the second level, clearly meant to showcase the lake could probably be seen from that elevation. Over the smell of earth and leaves, Tobio could smell just the smallest hint of – was that vanilla?

  
The door to the lake house opened suddenly, and Yamaguchi jogged out. He was absolutely beaming, and Kageyama realized this might have been the first time he’d seen his fellow first-year in clothes other than sweats or their school uniforms. He was wearing what looked to be cuffed plaid pants, a plain white tee-shirt, hairband, and an apron with a cartoon duck on the front. The smell of vanilla intensified considerably. “Hey guys!!! I hope the traffic wasn’t too bad!” He was happier than Tobio had ever seen him.

  
Sugawara called out from behind him. “I love your apron!” Kageyama, suddenly aware that he was the first of the crew that was about to enter the house, realized he should probably say something. “Yeah, it looks super-efficient for the kitchen, you’re protected and have… freedom of motion.” He could feel a blush in his ears as Yamaguchi listened with that same dumb smile on his face. “Thanks king,” he said with a smirk that turned into a warmer smile to show it was just a joke.

He called out to the rest of the team as they filed into the lowest level with their bags. “Come on in everyone, I have some fresh taiyaki upstairs with Tsukki, and your rooms are all labeled with your names.” The group each greeted him on their way in, heading to their chosen four-person rooms. “Some of the rooms have air mattresses and some have big beds, but there’s room for everyone.”

Kageyama walked with Hinata to their third-floor bedroom. Over their objections, they had been assigned a room together with Tanaka and Noya because, in Daichi’s words, “The other two floors are going to want to sleep.” Luckily, their room clearly had been intended to host kids because there were two bunk beds. After a brief but intense wrestling match, Hinata triumphed with the prize of getting to the top bunk first.

  
“We’re one to one today!” Hinata’s flushed face was smug on the top bunk as Kageyama glared up at him. He heard unpacking going on, muffled through the floors below. Suga said something and Kageyama detected the unmistakable deep chuckle of their captain in response. He was about to make a snide retort to the orange nuisance when Yamaguchi arrived at their door.

“Hey guys, I heard from Asahi and it looks like they’ll be getting here around dinner, so you have an hour or two to unpack before Tanaka and Noya get here.” The first year was clearly in his element hosting here, and he eagerly continued before Kageyama had a chance to ask about the bathroom. “Anyway, I know you both have big appetites so you should probably get down and have some taiyaki before they’re all gone. Tsukki is going to act like you’re ruining his day to be here, but don’t let him fool you. He vacuumed the whole house in preparation for the team getting here.” The three first years trotted down the stairs to the second-floor kitchen and dining room, where they joined the rest of the team for snacks.

  
The rest of the day passed in a warm blur. They grilled meat outside, had lemonade and fruit inside, and passed the darkening afternoon playing board games and consistently somehow always losing to the increasingly smug Ennoshita. The others finally arrived and after a short bout of nausea from Asahi, unpacked and joined the rest of the crew for dinner. As he sat at the deck table on a plastic chair, lemonade in hand and sandwiched in between Ennoshita and Tanaka, Kageyama felt his shoulders relax for the first time in what seemed like forever. For all their teasing and issues and LITTLE ORANGE NUISANCES, this team was just that – a team. His absentminded daydreaming was cut off as coach Ukai stood and asked for everyone’s attention. The coach put a toothpick in his mouth and began his short speech.

  
“Alright everyone, this has been fun. Thank you to our wonderful welcoming committee for prepping the house. But we’re also here to get better at volleyball. So everyone finish up and turn in. Your captain and I will see you at the front door, in your practice clothes at 6:00am sharp.” The coach raised his voice to continue over the chorus of moans and cries of disbelief that began to rise. “Come on, crows. We’re going to leave here the best team in the prefecture. Get to bed!”

  
Unknown to him and the others, similar speeches were being made at two other cabins a few miles away on the same lake. The still air of the mountain night grew cold, and the boys clutched their blankets tight and warm. As the stars twinkled, they were reflected in two brown owl-like eyes. The lake was still and mirror-like, as if the whole night was still, in a moment of tension that would soon be broken.


End file.
